Describing an Artwork and it's composition - Study an artists use of space and composition in a drawing study.

Final Piece Planning Page

Studio Work

composition an introduction

Composition is an intuitive act: how artists work with their judgment, make associations, and determine how to direct the observer’s eye. It’s in the “compositional” stage that they determine how the lines will lead to important areas, whether the shapes will be large enough to hold the viewer’s attention, and how the colors will lead the eye off to another part of the work. Just as artists work with their intuition to compose a work of art, so we the viewers can “intuit” their methods. Some important Intuitive Elements of Form to look for are Rhythm, Balance and Unity.

tone

A simple pencil grayscale is your first step in getting control of your pencil shading. Draw a ladder grid of five one-inch squares. Using the tip of a sharp pencil, shade the first as dark as you can, and the last as light as you can. Shade the remaining squares in even steps between the two, so that the middle square is a good mid-tone. Try this with a range of pencils - from 6B through to 2H - so that you can see the range of tone that can be achieved with each one.

tonal practice

The pencil shading exercise explored on this page is called 'graduated tone'. It is a drawing technique which can be used to create a strong sense of space and form. It is a very useful skill to develop for both pencil and color pencil drawings.

Use a darker grade (B or 2B) of pencil for your shading. Lighter grades (H, 2H etc.) will not give enough depth to your darkest tones.

Just start by shading the area you wish to be dark and slowly build up the tone. As you work towards the light, gradually ease the pressure on your pencil until you can no longer see the mark it makes.

You then patiently repeat this process several times, building up a depth to the shading, adjusting any irregular areas and trying to keep the tonal changes as smooth as possible until you achieve the variation and intensity of tone that you desire.

In this exercise the graduated tone starts at either side of the drawing and meets in the middle of the page.

Here the direction of the tone moves from 'left to right' in the background but switches to 'right to left' in the circles.

Here the direction of the tone moves from left to right to create a subtle graduated effect.

In this exercise the direction of the graduated tones switch to create a counterchange between alternate circles.

In this exercise the direction of the graduated tones switch to create a counterchange between alternate squares.

In this exercise the direction of the graduated tones switch to create a counterchange between alternate circles.

In this final exercise the graduated tone in the background moves from 'left to right' at a 45° angle but changes its direction in the circles to create two 3-dimensional spheres.graduated tone in the background moves from 'left to right' at a 45° angle but changes its direction in the circles to create two 3-dimensional spheres.

texture intro

Texture is the look and feel of a surface. Painters have many ways to create different textures. They use different sized and shaped brushes: everything from tiny pointed brushes to flat, wide brushes. They can also use other tools—special knives, sponges, even fingers—to put paint on canvas.What are some ways that artists create texture?

They brush paint on in watery strokes and thick drips.

They put paint down in short, fat dabs and long, sleek strokes.

They twirl their brushes to make circles and curls.

They apply paint in thick layers that stick out from the canvas.

They put different colors on top of each other.

They mix in sand, dirt, or other materials into the paint.

They add white highlights to make things look shiny.

They scratch through paint to show colors underneath.

Chuck Close worked from a black-and-white photograph of his wife’s grandmother, Fanny to create Fanny/Fingerpainting. He divided his canvas into a grid, and then, square by square, pressed the marks of his fingers to the canvas to make this portrait of Fanny. Carefully layering his fingerprints onto the canvas, he built up the lines of her face and neck. Close explained, "I like using the body as a tool for painting . . . by using my hand, I can feel just how much ink is on my finger and then I can feel very clearly how much I’m depositing on the painting."

where is texture?

Below find different texture making techniques. All you need is some line and you can ever create tone too.

How many different types of textures do you know?

Apply that texture to your object!

where does your eye go (watch video after you tried it for yourself)

choose a drawing from below and talk about the composition used

Description= pure description of the object without value judgments,analysis, or interpretation. · It answers the question, "What do you see?" · The various elements that constitute a description include:a. Form of art whether architecture, sculpture, painting or one of the minor artsb. Medium of work whether clay, stone, steel, paint, etc., and technique (tools used)c. Size and scale of work (relationship to person and/or frame and/or context)d. Elements or general shapes (architectural structural system) within the composition, including building of post-lintel construction or painting with several figures lined up in a row; identification of objectse. Description of axis whether vertical, diagonal, horizontal, etc.f. Description of line, including contour as soft, planar, jagged, etc.g. Description of how line describes shape and space (volume); distinguish between lines of objects and lines of composition, e.g., thick, thin, variable, irregular, intermittent, indistinct, etc.h. Relationships between shapes, e.g., large and small, overlapping, etc.i. Description of color and color scheme = palettej. Texture of surface or other comments about execution of workk. Context of object: original location and date